Textile Seat Supported in a Textile Support Frame

ABSTRACT

A seat for a land vehicle, aircraft, or watercraft, comprising a textile seat portion having a seating surface and a backrest with a supporting structure for the seat portion configured as a support frame extending about the seat portion. The support frame is in the form of a textile strap guided through vehicle-mounted eye rings. Portions of the strap extend laterally of the seat portion in the form of diagonal strap portions that each extend between one of the eye rings mounted below the seating surface and one of the eye rings mounted above the backrest. The seat portion is displaceably disposed on the diagonal strap portions. At least one adjustment strap is guided from the backrest to a fixation mechanism disposed above the seat portion.

The present invention relates to a land vehicle, aircraft, or watercrafthaving a seat for transporting a person occupying the seat, supported ona supporting structure composed of textile straps, whereby thesupporting structure is secured to structural vehicle pars disposedabove and below the seating surface.

A vehicle of this type is described in WO 2005/080126 A1, whereby in thetransport compartment thereof a large number of seats are to beinstalled for personnel that are to be transported therein; theindividual seats are secured to meshwork respectively stretched betweenthe ceiling and floor surfaces of the transport compartment in a grid,and that is composed of textile straps. The seats are comprised of aseat portion that is embodied as a compression-resistant component andthat forms the seating surface of the seat. Additionally disposed andstretched between the vertically extending straps of one of eachmeshwork is a backrest that is separate from the seat portion and/orhead supports made of a textile material. For the lateral security of aperson occupying the seat, diagonal straps are provided that extend fromthe front edge of the seat portion to the rear meshwork.

The configuration of such a seat cannot be adapted to the body mass ofthe person that is to be transported, and is also not adjustable withregard to the sitting position of such a person. This is a particulardrawback if the seat is to be used by the driver of the correspondingvehicle, because critical for a driver's seat is not only a comfortableholding of the body but at the same time a secure holding of the body inall movement states of the vehicle. Finally, with the known seat, theseat portion, which is embodied as a compression-resistant component, isa fixed, integral part of the seat support that transfers impacts to anundesirable extent to the person occupying the seat.

It is therefore an object of the present invention, for a land vehicle,aircraft or watercraft having the aforementioned features, to makeavailable a seat that is adjustable with regard to the sitting positionof the user of the seat, and that provides a comfortable sittingposition.

The realization of this object, including advantageous embodiments andfurther developments of the invention, can be obtained from the contentsof the patent claims that follow this description.

The basic concept of the invention is that the supporting structure isconfigured as a support frame that extends about or encircles the seat,which is embodied as a textile seat portion having the seating surfaceand a backrest, wherein the support frame is comprised of a textilestrap that is guided through vehicle-mounted eye rings, whereby the beltportions that extend laterally of the seat, as diagonal straps, extendbetween an eye ring that is mounted below the backrest and an eye ringthat is mounted above the backrest, and that the seat is displaceablydisposed on the diagonal straps, and at least one adjustment strap isguided from the backrest of the seat to a fixation mechanism for theadjustment strap disposed above the seat.

The invention has the advantage that due to the possible displacement ofthe textile seat portion on the diagonal straps of the textile supportframe, the seat portion, and hence the sitting position, can be veryeasily adapted to the size of the person being transported in that atthe same time an adjustment of the height as well as a forward orrearward adjustment of the seat portion takes place. Thus, the controlelements of the vehicle are respectively quite accessible in theindividual positions of the seat portion. The seat portion, which ismade of a breathable woven fabric, offers to the person utilizing theseat as great a body support as possible, since seating surface andbackrest merge into one another, so that in the respective sittingposition of a person, as little stress as possible on the body occurs.This achieves a careful treatment of the lumbar vertibrae and of theintervertebral discs of the person. Due to the cardanic suspension ofthe textile seat portion in the tensioned textile support frame, impactsoriginating from the vehicle are softened. The diagonal strapsadditionally provide for a good lateral protection of the person usingthe seat in the event that the vehicle should come to rest in a sideposition or even capsize or turn over. Finally, it is possible to easilyretrofit an existing vehicle.

Pursuant to a first embodiment of the invention, the fixation mechanismis embodied as a damping or gripping device for the adjustment strap, sothat by means of the fixation of the adjustment strap, the respectiveposition of the textile seat portion on the diagonal straps can besecured.

Alternatively, the fixation mechanism for the adjustment strap isembodied as a strap retractor that via a Bowden cable is connected to aswitching or control device that is disposed within reach of the personsitting on the seat, whereby by means of the control device the strapretractor can be switched either into a free running state with freestrap extension or withdrawal counter to the bias prescribed in thewind-up or retraction direction, or into a blocked stated withrespectively complete blocking of the strap shaft that is effective notonly in the strap wind-up direction but also in the strap withdrawaldirection, or into a positioning state that blocks the strap retractoronly in the strap withdrawal direction. Such a switching device for thepositioning of a strapped-in person in a vehicle is basically know fromDE 103 41 483 B3. In this connection, if the strap retractor is in thefree running state, the seat portion can be moved into the lowermost andat the same time most forward position. If with an appropriatepositioning of the switching or control device the strap retractor isswitched into a positioning state that only blocks in the strapwithdrawal direction, the seat portion can be simultaneously movedupwardly and backwardly on the diagonal straps since in this controlposition the strap retractor retracts or draws the belt strap in, yetblocks withdrawal of the belt strap. The third position represents theblocking state in which the position of the seat portion in the supportframe is fixed or secured.

Pursuant to one embodiment of the invention, a tensioner can be insertedor disposed in the run of the strap that forms the support frame.Furthermore, the diagonal straps of the support frame can be disposed atan angle of 45° relative to the horizontal vehicle axis; in this case,the path changes not only in the vertical direction but also in thehorizontal direction are respectively the same. If pursuant to oneembodiment of the invention the diagonal straps of the support frame aredisposed at an angle of greater than 45° relative to the horizontalvehicle axis, an appropriately different proportional ratio between thevertical movement and the horizontal movement of the seat portion can beestablished.

Pursuant to a further embodiment of the invention that is to beparticularly emphasized, the seat, in addition to the adaptation to thebody size of the person using it, can also be adapted to the body massand/or body shape of the person, and for this purpose the textile seatportion can be provided with aprons or skirts that moveably extend overthe lateral diagonal straps of the support frame, and the aprons, foralteration of the support surface for a person occupying the seat, whichsupport surface is disposed between the diagonal straps, can have theamount by which they extend over the diagonal straps adjusted vialength-variable tensioning straps. This has the advantage that by meansof the alteration of the “sag depth” of the region of the seat portiondisposed between the diagonal straps, the support surface for the personusing the seat can be adapted to smaller slim or larger robust persons.

Pursuant to one embodiment of the invention, the tensioning straps canbe guided over guide rollers and can be connected to the adjustmentstrap for the seat; this establishes a reciprocal coupling of thedisplacement movement of the seat portion and the diagonal straps and ofthe adaptation of the seat portion disposed between the diagonal straps.In addition, a tensioner can be inserted or disposed in the run of thetensioning straps.

For the control of the seat movement or seat adjustment, it isfurthermore provided with this embodiment of the invention that acontrol strap that leads to a strap retractor engage on the strap run oftensioning strap and adjustment strap, and the strap retractor isconnected via a Bowden cable with a switching or control device by meansof which the strap retractor can be switched either into a free runningstate with free strap extension or withdrawal counter to the bias of thestrap retractor prescribed in the wind-up or retraction direction, orinto a blocked state with respectively complete blocking of the strapshaft not only in the strap wind up direction but also in the strapwithdrawal direction, or into a positioning state that blocks the strapretractor only in the strap withdrawal direction.

To compensate for the tension exerted by the tensioning straps upon thelateral aprons of the textile seat portion, a guy strap can engage theseat portion in the region of the seating surface and can counteract thestrap tension of the tensioning straps that engage the aprons, wherebyagain a tensioner can be disposed in the run of the guy strap. Thisprevents that in the region of the seat portion between the diagonalstraps the seat portion, due to the bias exerted by the tensioningstraps, has too flat of a configuration, so that the lateral supporteffect of the diagonal straps would no longer be sufficient.

Pursuant to one embodiment of the invention, the guy strap can beattached to the control strap, thus also being connected to the closedstrap loop composed of the guy straps and the adjustment strap, so thatupon adjustment of the textile seat portion via the adjustment strap orthe tensioning straps that fix the shape of the seat, at the same timealso the further seating proportion is appropriately adapted or altered.

Pursuant to one embodiment of the invention, the vehicle is embodied asa forklift having a platform-like device support that is disposed belowa drivers seat, and a roll bar that extends up behind the driver's seat,whereby the eye rings that suspend the support frame are secured to thedevice support and to the roll bar. The advantages described inconjunction with the inventive seat are of particular importance with aforklift. The state of the art seats used in forklifts, in an embodimentas they are known, for example, with trucks, have particular drawbackswith a forklift. For example, when a forklift is being drivenconsiderable impacts are transferred to the driver, the dampening ofwhich, for example via the vehicle, as with a truck, is precluded, sincesuch a dampening cannot be realized with acceptable expenditure and incooperation with the lifting mechanism of the forklift. The control ofthe loading and unloading movement of the lifting mechanism of theforklift depends upon a reliable guidance of the feet of the operator inrelation to the pedals as welt of the hands to the control levers andthe steering wheel. The appropriate seat must therefore have a veryergonomic shape that in particular facilitates this specialized seatattitude. From this background, an adjustment of the seat in thevertical as well as in the horizontal direction is desirable, but up tonow has been very difficult to realize for forklift seats. Regulationsfurthermore require a retention strap that is intended to restrain thedriver, especially if the forklift tips over toward the side. Finally,the seat should also enable a rapid entering and exit. As results fromthe illustration and explanation of the inventive configuration of theseat, with its specialized features, the aforementioned drawbacks areadvantageously eliminated with the inventive seat.

The eye rings that are secured to the roll bar can in particular bedesigned for being altered in position, whereby, as already indicated,the path of the diagonal straps relative to the horizontal axis of thevehicle can be altered.

Embodiments of the invention, which will be described subsequently, areshown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a seat designed in particular for aforklift, having a person seated thereon,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the seat of FIG. 1 without a personusing the seat,

FIG. 3 is a further embodiment of the seat of FIG. 1.

The seat illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is installed in a forklift havinga roll bar 11 that is provided with a device support 10 and a rear strut12. In this connection, the seat, which is designated generally by thereference numeral 13, is supported in a support frame 14 and iscardanically suspended in the interior of this support frame, wherebythe support frame is comprised of two diagonal straps 15 that extendlaterally of the seat 13, and of transverse straps 16 that are guidedbetween the diagonal straps. The aforementioned diagonal straps andtransverse straps are preferably a single, continuous belt strap that isguided through eye rings 17 that are appropriately mounted on the devicesupport 10 and the rear strut 12 of the roll bar 11, whereby the ends ofthe belt strap are joined together in a tensioner 18, so that anappropriate strap tension can thereby be applied to the support frame14.

The seat 13 is comprised of a seat portion 19 that is disposed in theinterior of the support frame 14 and is made of a textile, breathablematerial; the seat portion forms a seating surface 20 and a backrest 21that merge with one another. The seat portion 19 is displaceably guidedon the diagonally provided and tensioned diagonal straps 15 by means oflaterally disposed positioning loops 22, so that when the seat portion19 is longitudinally displaced on the diagonally straps 15, there at thesame time results a horizontal and a vertical movement of the seatportion 19.

Engaging at the upper end of the backrest 21 of the seat portion 19 aretwo adjustment straps 23 a, b, which are combined into a singleadjustment strap 23, whereby the adjustment strap 23 extends into astrap retractor 24 that is securely mounted to the vehicle on atransverse strut 27 that connects the rear struts 12 of the roll bar 11.From the strap retractor 24, a Bowden cable 25 leads to a switching orcontrol device 26 that is disposed within reach of the person 50occupying the seat 13; by means of the control device, the strapretractor 24 can be brought into three control positions.

A first control position of the strap retractor 24 is characterized inthat the strap retractor is in a free running state with free belt strapextension or withdrawal counter to the bias prescribed in the wind up orretraction direction for the adjustment strap 23; in this controlposition, the seat portion 19 can be shifted toward the front or therear along the diagonal straps 15 since this control position of thestrap retractor 24 enables a withdrawal of the adjustment strap 23 outof the strap retractor against the action of the wind up spring that isnormally provided in the strap retractor.

If by means of the control device 26 the strap retractor is switchedinto a positioning state in which a blocking of the strap retractor 24is effected only in the strap withdrawal direction, the seat portion 19can be shifted in the upward-rearward-direction because the adjustmentstrap 23 is drawn into the strap retractor 24 under the effect of thewind up spring; however, in this control position an oppositely directedmovement of the seat portion 19 is precluded, so that only this onedesired displacement of the seat portion 19 is possible.

In a third control position, the strap retractor is blocked not only inthe strap wind up direction but also in the strap withdrawal directionrelative to the adjustment strap 23, so that in this control position ofthe control device 26, the seat portion 19 is fixed along the diagonalstraps 15 of the support frame 19.

As a result of the aforementioned arrangement it is possible for theperson 50 to sit in the seat portion 19 and by operation of the controldevice 26, in an infinitely variable manner to find his or her mostcomfortable sitting position and to also fix this position by means ofthe associated control position of the control device 26.

A further embodiment of the previously described seat is illustrated inFIG. 3, according to which it is now also possible to change the regionof the seat portion 19 that is disposed between the diagonal straps 15and that supports the person 50. For this purpose, the seat portion 19extends over the diagonal straps 15 of the support frame 14 that extendlaterally of the seat portion via appropriately disposed aprons orskirts 30, which are respectively engaged by tensioning straps 31.Depending upon the tension exerted by the tensioning straps 31 upon theaprons 30 of the seat portion 19, the region of the seat portion 19 thatis disposed between the diagonal straps 15 sags and thus provides a moreor less large support surface for the person 50. Since the requiredsupport surface for the person 50 is generally also directlyproportional to the position of the seat portion 19 in the support frame14, with the illustrated embodiment the tensioning straps 31 are guidedover guide rollers 33 that are appropriately secured to the vehicle, andthat together with the adjustment strap 23 and/or the adjustment straps23 a, b is joined together to form a respectively closed strap loop. Ifthe seat portion 19 is shifted upwardly-rearwardly, the tensioningstraps 31 yield in the direction of the seat portion 19, as a result ofwhich the amount of the aprons 30 that hangs over the diagonal straps 15is reduced and the seat portion disposed between the diagonal straps 15is placed lower. Conversely, if the seat portion 19 is shiftedforwardly-downwardly, the adjustment strap 23 follows, which leads to agreater tensioning of the tensioning straps 31, which then pull theaprons 30 to a greater amount over the diagonal straps 15. In thisconnection, a tensioner 32 can be inserted in the thus closed strap loopor strap loops of tensioning straps 31 and adjustment straps 23.

In this embodiment, the seat adjustment occurs via a control strap 34that engages the strap loops composed of tensioning straps 31 andadjustment straps 23, and that in turn is guided to a strap retractor24; this strap retractor 24, in turn, is connected via a Bowden cable 25to a switching or control device 26. In this connection, the controldevice 26 is configured in the same manner as described in conjunctionwith the embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2, so that via the control device 26the position of the seat portion 19 on the diagonal straps 15 is nowadjustable including the change of the support surface of the seatportion 19 itself.

In order for a control element to counteract the tensioning movement ofthe tensioning straps 31, at least one additional tension guy strap 35engages the seat portion 19 in the region of the seating surface 20;accompanied by the interposition of a tensioner 36, the guy 15 strap isconnected to the control strap 34. Thus, if the tensioning straps 31exert an appropriate tension upon the lateral aprons 30 of the seatportion 19, this tension can be regulated by the guy strap 35 thatengages the seating surface, whereby the movement of the guy strap 35 isexpediently also regulatable by the control strap 34, so that when aperson 50 occupying the seat 13 actuates the control device 26, amovement of the seat portion 19 in the textile support frame 14 resultsthat on the whole is coordinated and synchronized.

The features of the subject matter of these documents that is disclosedin the preceding specification, the patent claims, the abstract and thedrawing can be important individually as well as in any desiredcombination with one another for realizing the various embodiments ofthe invention.

1-15. (canceled)
 16. A seat for a land vehicle, aircraft, or watercraft,comprising: a textile seat portion having a seating surface and abackrest; a supporting structure for said seat portion, wherein saidsupporting structure is configured as a support frame that extends aboutsaid seat portion, further wherein said support frame is in the form ofa textile strap that is guided through vehicle-mounted eye rings,further wherein portions said strap extend laterally of said seatportion in the form of diagonal strap portions that each extend betweenone of said eye rings mounted below said seating surface and one of saideye rings mounted above said backrest, and wherein said seat portion isdisplaceably disposed on said diagonal strap portions; a fixationmechanism disposed above said seat portion; and at least one adjustmentstrap that is guided from said backrest of said seat portion to saidfixation mechanism.
 17. A seat according to claim 16, wherein saidfixation mechanism is embodied as a clamping or gripping device for saidat least one adjustment strap.
 18. A seat according to claim 16, whereinsaid fixation mechanism for said at least one adjustment strap isembodied as a strap retractor that is connected via a Bowden cable to aswitching or control device that is adapted to be disposed within reachof a person occupying said seat portion and by means of which said strapretractor is adapted to be switched either into a free running statewith free strap extension or withdrawal counter to a bias of said strapretractor prescribed in a retraction direction, or into a blocked statedwith a strap withdrawal direction, or into a positioning state thatblocks said strap retractor only in a strap withdrawal direction.
 19. Aseat according to claim 16, wherein a tensioner is disposed in a run ofsaid textile strap that forms said support frame.
 20. A seat accordingto claim 16, wherein said diagonal strap portions of said support frameare disposed at an angle of 45° relative to a horizontal axis of thevehicle.
 21. A seat according to claim 16, wherein said diagonal strapportions of said support frame are disposed at an angle of greater than45° relative to a horizontal axis of the vehicle.
 22. A seat accordingto claim 16, wherein said textile seat portion is provided with apronsthat are adapted to moveably extend over said lateral diagonal strapportions of said support frame, and wherein, for an alteration of anoccupant support surface of said seat portion disposed between saiddiagonal strap portions, an amount by which said aprons extend over saiddiagonal strap portions is adapted to be adjusted via length-variabletensioning straps.
 23. A seat according to claim 22, wherein saidtensioning straps are guided over guide rollers and are connected tosaid at least one adjustment strap for said seat portion.
 24. A seataccording to claim 22, wherein a tensioner is disposed in a run of saidtensioning straps.
 25. A seat according to claim 22, wherein a strapretractor is provided, further wherein a control strap that leads tosaid strap retractor engages runs of said tensioning straps and said atleast one adjustment strap, further wherein said strap retractor isconnected via a Bowden cable to a switching or controlling device bymeans of which said strap retractor is adapted to be switched intoeither a free running state with free strap extension or withdrawalcounter to a bias of said strap retractor prescribed in a retractiondirection, or into a blocked stated with respectively complete blockingof a strap shaft that is effective not only in a strap wind up directionbut also in a strap withdrawal direction, or into a positioning statethat blocks said strap retractor only in a strap withdrawal direction.26. A seat according to claim 25, wherein a guy strap engages said seatportion in the region of said seating surface and counteracts straptension of said tensioning straps that engage said aprons.
 27. A seataccording to claim 26, wherein a tensioner is disposed in a run of saidguy strap.
 28. A seat according to claim 26, wherein said guy strap isattached to said control strap.
 29. A seat according to claim 16, incombination with a vehicle embodied as a forklift having a platform-likedevice support, which is disposed below said seat portion, and a rollbar which extends upwardly rearwardly of said seat portion, wherein saideye rings that suspend said support frame are secured to said devicesupport and to said roll bar.
 30. A seat according to claim 29, whereinthose eye rings that are secured to said roll bar are capable of beingaltered in position.